Trolling for Walleye with John Gillman and Dean Arnoldussen

When it comes to trolling for walleye, Denali pros John Gillman and Dean Arnoldussen are two of the most experienced anglers out there. It is important to use the right equipment to get these big fish in the boat, so we spoke with both of them and asked what equipment they use. John Gillman mostly uses the Myriad 8-foot medium power and 8-foot 6-inch medium power telescopic trolling rods, depending on the situation he is dealt with. The shorter 8-foot rod will usually get the job done on inland lakes where the fish are smaller. However, if he is fishing bigger bodies of water with bigger fish, Gillman chooses the longer rod.

Dean Arnoldussen also uses the 8-foot 6-inch Myriad because it has 16 total guides preventing the line from hitting the rod and weakening the line when the fish runs. It also decreases friction on guides since there are more of them to benefit each other. The high number of guides is also beneficial because it utilizes the whole blank allowing for a long taper. This allows for the rod to be very forgiving when sweeping the fish to the side for co-anglers to net with ease. All walleye trolling rods that Denali have to offer consist of a moderate action in the blank preventing the rod from pulling the hooks out of the fish’s mouth. The soft taper of the 8-foot 6-inch Myriad also allows the fish to start running before starting to pull drag. Arnoldussen prefers the longer rod because it keeps the line in the air more so that the planer board doesn’t jump over the line.

An alternate setup that Gillman uses is the 8-foot medium power Trane telescopic trolling rod. The Trane Series is a much more affordable trolling rod for anglers who still want the high quality that Denali offers, also available in an 8-foot 6-inch length for fighting those bigger fish and providing the same additional benefits that the longer Myriad has. The bigger and fewer guides that the Trane has allows for braid-to-leader combinations to run through the guides easier, so Gillman reaches for 12-pound Sunline Xplasma Asegai braid tied to a 10-pound Sunline FC Leader when using the Trane. The shorter 8-foot rod allows for the angler to fight the fish closer to the boat, so he or she doesn’t need to sweep it to the side for the co-angler to net. Telescopic rods allow for easier storage, and the 8-foot Trane fits in all style rod holders from tubes to cradles. Calibrated line counter reels are also a necessity as it helps to measure how much line the angler should let out along with knowing how close the fish is to the boat when reeling it in. Dean Arnoldussen uses a Shimano Tekota 500 line counter reel, and both Gillman and Arnoldussen usually spool their reels with 16-lb Sunline Troll FC fluorocarbon line. When choosing lures for trolling, Gillman often reaches for lures like crawler harnesses along with the SPRO Madeye Diver 85 and SPRO Madeye Minnow 120, both in gold purple perch.